Loading AI tools
Extinct family of basal arthropods From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opabiniidae is an extinct family of marine stem-arthropods.[1] Its type and best-known genus is Opabinia. It also contains Utaurora, and Mieridduryn. Opabiniids closely resemble radiodonts, but their frontal appendages were basally fused into a proboscis. Opabiniids also distinguishable from radiodonts by setal blades covering at least part of the body flaps and serrated caudal rami.[2]
Opabiniidae Temporal range: Middle Cambrian - Middle Ordovician, | |
---|---|
Opabinia (top) and Utaurora (bottom) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Stem group: | †Dinocaridida |
Family: | †Opabiniidae Walcott, 1912 |
Genera | |
Opabiniidae was named by Charles Doolittle Walcott in 1912, alongside its type species Opabinia. Walcott interpreted Opabiniidae as a family of anostracan crustaceans, most closely related to Thamnocephalidae.[3] Opabinia was restudied in the 1970s, and reinterpreted as a stranger animal. Stephen Jay Gould referred to Opabinia as a "weird wonder", and an illustration of Opabinia prompted laughter when it was first revealed at a paleontological conference.[4] In 2022, more opabiniids were discovered. That being Utaurora, and Mieridduryn.[2]
Myoscolex from Emu Bay Shale is sometimes suggested to be an opabiniid,[5] but morphological features supporting this interpretation are controversial.[6][2]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.